Electra (very mild nudity)

D3Sshooter

I wonder what you all think of this picture.......Its a nude and no nude the way I like it.

kdog

It's got some interesting elements, but I'm having a hard time getting past the amputated legs. I would have tried to get some feet or lower legs showing even though it might compromise the symmetry. I'm also not wild about the wrinkly black floor; the shiny wrinkles are a distraction and really aren't adding anything. I like the overall crispness of the shot.

Sam

I was liking it until the dog made his comments. :cry

I think the pose, concept is great, but there are those two issues.

Can you re-shoot?

Whatever you do don't stop trying!!!!

Sam

Hackbone

The contrast is a little freaky to me......the bright skin and the blackness of the guitar. Nice idea but as I said, the extreme contrast bothers me. But then again in Europe the styles are strikingly different than the U.S.

ziggy53

I have to respectfully disagree with the other comments.

I suspect that this image is not translating well to the computer screen, but printed at large size I suspect that the image will work extremely well.

The legs treatment is a little jarring at first, but it takes no time to make sense of the scene once you realize that the guitar is transecting the human form. At a larger printed size I believe that it would be even more obvious and sensible.

The wrinkled black helps to separate the floor from the black of the guitar. (Without that extra texture the floor and guitar would blend too much together, IMO.) The wrinkles also help to guide the eye to the subject matter, which is both the guitar and the lady.

Compositionally, I am compelled to define the "primary" subject as the guitar, but there is no mistaking the relevance of the human subject. (That is to say that the lady is certainly important to the image, and the image loses much strength without her, not to mention the guitar falling over.)

The outlining skin tones are indeed what I expect more from a high-key image skin tonality (nearly glowing), but I like the amount of detail leftover and I like the stark difference in contrast between the skin and the guitar and surroundings.

While there are imperfections in the symmetry of the image, it is those imperfections and incongruities which make the image more human.

About the only thing that I suggest changing is where the floor material (black satin or velvet?) meets the background it's a little too obvious and it creates a type of "horizon", which I don't think necessary to the shot. My suggestion is to blend those two elements together to make the floor and background more "seamless". (I checked this on 3 - different displays to make sure of what I was seeing.)

I really do think that this is your best image to date.

D3Sshooter

kdog wrote: »

It's got some interesting elements, but I'm having a hard time getting past the amputated legs. I would have tried to get some feet or lower legs showing even though it might compromise the symmetry. I'm also not wild about the wrinkly black floor; the shiny wrinkles are a distraction and really aren't adding anything. I like the overall crispness of the shot.

TXS for the comments..the legs were a bit difficult considering the pose.... I need to give it some taught but it is a good point. Maybe I need to remove the fire-cloth (that stuff on the ground). Some like it others don't.

D3Sshooter

kdog wrote: »

It's got some interesting elements, but I'm having a hard time getting past the amputated legs. I would have tried to get some feet or lower legs showing even though it might compromise the symmetry. I'm also not wild about the wrinkly black floor; the shiny wrinkles are a distraction and really aren't adding anything. I like the overall crispness of the shot.

Sam wrote: »

I was liking it until the dog made his comments. :cry

I think the pose, concept is great, but there are those two issues.

Can you re-shoot?

Whatever you do don't stop trying!!!!

Sam

Thanks Sam, Sure I can always reshoot.... That is why I post it, to get your views.

D3Sshooter

Hackbone wrote: »

The contrast is a little freaky to me......the bright skin and the blackness of the guitar. Nice idea but as I said, the extreme contrast bothers me. But then again in Europe the styles are strikingly different than the U.S.

Thanks, The contrast is a processing aspect and I do have the color version as well. This was intended to be a bit graphical and to have a relation between the black guitar with white panel and the pale model and the black background.

D3Sshooter

ziggy53 wrote: »

I have to respectfully disagree with the other comments.

I suspect that this image is not translating well to the computer screen, but printed at large size I suspect that the image will work extremely well.

The legs treatment is a little jarring at first, but it takes no time to make sense of the scene once you realize that the guitar is transecting the human form. At a larger printed size I believe that it would be even more obvious and sensible.

The wrinkled black helps to separate the floor from the black of the guitar. (Without that extra texture the floor and guitar would blend too much together, IMO.) The wrinkles also help to guide the eye to the subject matter, which is both the guitar and the lady.

Compositionally, I am compelled to define the "primary" subject as the guitar, but there is no mistaking the relevance of the human subject. (That is to say that the lady is certainly important to the image, and the image loses much strength without her, not to mention the guitar falling over.)

The outlining skin tones are indeed what I expect more from a high-key image skin tonality (nearly glowing), but I like the amount of detail leftover and I like the stark difference in contrast between the skin and the guitar and surroundings.

While there are imperfections in the symmetry of the image, it is those imperfections and incongruities which make the image more human.

About the only thing that I suggest changing is where the floor material (black satin or velvet?) meets the background it's a little too obvious and it creates a type of "horizon", which I don't think necessary to the shot. My suggestion is to blend those two elements together to make the floor and background more "seamless". (I checked this on 3 - different displays to make sure of what I was seeing.)

I really do think that this is your best image to date.

WoW, very good analysis and you hit the nail on the head as to what I had in mind. I will do some extra processing on the merger between the fire-cloth (that is what we call this black thin maze tissue) and the background.


TXS for the comments...

puzzledpaul

Overall, i like it - wrinkles add texture imo.
I did wonder how it'd work / look if both hands were at the same position - ie overlapping - to keep the human element symmetrical, even tho the guitar isn't.

pp

D3Sshooter

puzzledpaul wrote: »

Overall, i like it - wrinkles add texture imo.
I did wonder how it'd work / look if both hands were at the same position - ie overlapping - to keep the human element symmetrical, even tho the guitar isn't.

pp

TXS Paul,

I have also that shot but this one worked best as it lines up the shape with the gitaar...well at least for me